Camping - Round 2, Second Verse, Same as the First

This weekend my family and I went camping. The first thing we did was to make a fire. Brent, my little brother, would get pinecones, pine needles that Brent calls ashes for some reason, and all kinds of sticks. The flames of orange and yellow grew and would blow ash and spark everywhere. Eventually the fire grew too big for mom to cook anything. So we had to wait a while until we could eat. 

My mom made bacon cheeseburgers, green beans, baked beans, and grilled corn. It was really fresh, and I wish I could have a meal like it every night. It tasted so good because it was cooked on the fire.  After we finished dinner, we all made yummy, and eewy gooey smores. I like mine charred, but everyone else likes them perfect. 

That night was calm and peaceful to my surprise. The worst part was I still had to sleep with my brother, but I would wake up to soft and hushed waves hitting the rocks. When I did wake up I wanted to go home and sleep in my bed.  

I also fished some too. I didn’t catch anything but I had fun trying. My stepdad caught two fish, but I’m not sure what they were though. I hope to go back soon. 

One of the best parts was that they had hot water, indoor plumbing, and electricity. So in the long run this trip was much better than the beach.

Peace*

Beach Misery

My family and I went on a beach trip to catch fish, at Cape Lookout. I had planned for this to be a nice little quiet trip. Turns out it’s a whole different ball park. It was windy, cold, and sandy. The wind would move the sand and it would hit your legs like tiny meteors crashing from space. Adding a sunburn to that, your legs felt like they were on fire. Not to mention having to sleep in a half bed with my brother, with sand all over the bed just to make it worse.

My mom and I went to the lighthouse and its museum. These are some pictures of the trip to the lighthouse. It was really educational and my mom had a good time too. But, the sun, sand, and the whole no toilet thing ruined almost everything.

Even though there wasn’t much to do we did find some awesome shells: conches, clam, and many more. The view was also absolutely gorgeous when the orange, red, and yellow sunset would shine. The sand dunes were huge. Thank goodness for that, otherwise you wouldn’t have privacy when using them as a bathroom.

The downs of the trip were there were no showers, no toilets, and no electricity. If you wanted a half decent shower, you would have to drive several miles to get there, and guess what we did.  It was dark, and it smelt like crap, but a shower is still a shower and I’m still living, so it was safe. It was also hard because living without toilets was very complicated. So picture this: you are crossing your legs because you have to pee, you’re sticky from salt water, and you stink pretty badly, then you have to find a dune to use as a bathroom away from home. After you finish, your hands are sandy and there’s no toilet paper. I would rather use the outhouse at the cabin. And don’t even get me started on the spiders in there.


So in the end, it had its ups and downs. Yet my mom wants to go back in the summer. She wants to go back so we can go up in the lighthouse when it’s open to the public. I wish to see the view of the beach and the island from there. Hopefully next time we will be able to see some of the wild horses too.


Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to put indoor plumbing to a good use now. So bye.


Peace.

The Great Creature Adventure

          As you should have read, I have recently gone on a hiking trip, and boy was it something else. My family and I had found some frog eggs, which you can see on my video blog.   You’ll be able to check back each week to see how much they’ve grown.  All the information we’ve found says it could be 9 days to 3 weeks before they start to change.  That’s if they survived my brother shaking them on the way home.

The eggs where we found them.

When we first got there the ground was like quick sand and there were thorn branches everywhere. If you turned around you would be hit in the face by a tree branch. Once we got on a deer trail near the water, it was much easier to walk.  While at the creek we found a crawfish. I thought it would be a good idea to see if it could snap a stick in half. It can’t, but I still got to hold it.

It wouldn't let go until we put it back in the water.

My keen eye site came in handy on this trip because I spotted a small red bug while we were walking.  I told my mom, so she took a picture, and immediately googled it when we got home. It was really a red velvet mite that you see here.  It was ketchup red, the same red as one of my stepdad’s shirts that I’m a little embarrassed by.  Too bad I don’t have a picture of the shirt so you can compare.  

My step dad may not have the best taste in clothes, but he’s an awesome rock skipper.  He’s been trying to teach me how to do it for at least 2 years.  The secret is to find special skipping rocks that are small and round.  Shannon (that’s my step dad) actually put some in a bag to take home with us.  He’s been skipping rocks for 30 years, so it’s no big deal to him anymore.    

            My friend found a bug also.  It turned out to be a hellgrammite.  Shannon knew what that was, because it’s great fishing bait. We found the hellgrammite under a rock while building a dam in the creek. It looked like a black centipede but with big black jaws.  I don’t think you would want it to bite you.

It was a great hike!

Peace.